WELCOME BACK, PART II

Here's what we'll work on today:

1.  GOODREADS

If you DO NOT have a Goodreads account yet, we'll get you set up with one.

If you DO have a Goodreads account, you need to edit your bookshelves.

• Instead of "Poetry," rename the shelf "Poetry & Novels Written in Verse."
• Add a shelf for "Action/Adventure."
• Add a shelf for "Graphic Novels."
• Add a shelf for "2014-2015 School Year."
• Add any books you read over the summer, and tag them with the appropriate shelves (NOT your new school year shelf).
• Add any books you started since school began, and tag them with the appropriate shelves, making sure to include your new "2014-2015 School Year" shelf.  You'll need to include this label for every book you read for this year's contract.
• Add friends from the FMS GOAL group, if you'd like to.
• Read through your updates, looking for books you might want to add to your "Want to read" shelf.

2.  UNIT INTRODUCTION

When your Goodreads account is ready to go and you've finished your blog post from yesterday, watch the following film to give you an introduction to our new unit to start the year.  This unit will be on Differences in Learning.  This unit is to give you an awareness of all the ways people learn.  You will develop understanding for people who learn differently from you, and you will better understand your own ways of learning.  When you know how you learn best, you can begin to advocate for yourself and take charge of your own learning and academic success.

Start by watching this video: Temple Grandin TED Talk: The World Needs All Kinds of Minds

Then, write a blog post describing what you saw, what you learned, and what it made you think about and/or wonder about.

7th Grade GOAL Blog Assignment 4/23/13

1.  Update your reading log on Goodreads.  Review and rate books as necessary and document your progress in the book you're currently reading.

2.  Write a journal letter on your blog about the book you're currently reading.

3.  Choose one of the following questions to answer on your blog after your journal letter:

*  Discuss your progress, excitement, frustrations, questions, etc. about the stop-motion animated movies.

*  Discuss your personal goals for the rest of the school year.  How are you going to make the last 6 weeks really count?

*  Discuss a recent news event.  Give your thoughts, opinions, comments, and/or questions.

DUE: 4/26/13

How I Look at Teaching Reading

This article from The New York Times discusses my philosophy of teaching reading... let the students choose the books! The first book I ever hated in my life was a whole class novel. Those weeks of being forced to read The Hobbit were pure torture, and they affected how I look at the fantasy genre to this day. I hope my students will become lifelong readers, and I believe independent book choice is the way to do that.

Thanks, Book Whisperer, for posting this article on Facebook tonight, so I could share it with all of you!

Summer Reading

GOAL students know that I expect them to read over the summer, but I recently found out about a fun way to document that reading. Thanks to the Free Technology for Teachers blog, I discovered a program sponsored by Scholastic this summer called the Scholastic Summer Challenge. It looks like a great resource for both students and parents alike. I'll be documenting my own reading on Goodreads.com. I hope to learn enough about that site this summer to incorporate it into my routine for students to document their own reading in the fall.

Here is a great link with summer reading ideas for gifted kids. It includes some great reading lists!

Happy reading, everyone!